Today, we feel pride in sharing with our valued readers that at Power to Consumer we have achieved our first victory in bringing power to a consumer. Although, our legal adviser is already at work helping many harassed consumers fight for justice and seek compensation, but this particular case saw its fruitful end.
The Case
Ms. Rosalin Dash and Ms. Swetalin Dash, two consumers residing in the city of Bangalore purchased a HP laptop from a renowned online store. [su_highlight]But they were in for a shock when just a day after delivery, the laptop turned out to be defective, and was not functioning as intended[/su_highlight]. The processor was extremely slow, the accessories were not functioning properly, the system became unresponsive at times, and other issues started cropping up with the brand new laptop.
Ms. Swetalin decided to take up the issue, and started making regular calls to the customer care of the online store, while also sharing the complaint on the store’s Facebook channel. [su_highlight]This went on for almost a month, but replacement or refund of the defective product was still not on the horizon[/su_highlight]. All she was getting were repetitive and false assurances.
The Approach
Having had enough with trained customer representatives repeating a written statement, but providing no appropriate solution, Ms. Rosalin and Ms. Swetalin decided to approach Power to Consumer and seek justice. Our legal adviser heard the entire case study, advised the two to draft a written complaint, and specifically mention seeking [su_highlight]support of Power to Consumer to approach the consumer court [/su_highlight]if the complaint wasn’t resolved immediately.
Justice Granted
Being empowered now with legal support from Power to Consumer and its legal adviser, Ms. Rosalin and Ms. Swetalin sent a notice to the online store. And the problem that initially [su_highlight]wasn’t getting addressed even with a month of continuous follow-up, finally got resolved within just two days of sending the notice[/su_highlight]. The Sr. Customer Care Manager of the online store reverted back with an apology letter stating that “they apologized for the trouble and are ready to refund the value of the purchased laptop”.
Here’s what Ms. Rosalin had to share about the whole incident:
“Despite several attempts to reach the customer care center and lodge a complaint, we couldn’t get the replacement, and all our efforts and time went futile. This is when Power to Consumer intervened and offered a legal approach to get things sorted. A simple email complaint and phew! The store responded immediately to our request and offered to replace our defective product with a new one. Now, this is called the ‘Right of Consumers’and the ‘Power of Judiciary System'”.
Our View
We’ve heard the phrase ‘Consumer is King’ brandished about so many times that we really don’t know what its true essence is. We think of it as just some mission statement that all companies or enterprise talk about, but never follow in principle. But the statement truly showcases its power, when a consumer who has been cheated of the true value a good, or was provided deficient service, gets compensated by the defaulter, either monetarily or non-monetarily.
The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 is truly a powerful Act, but only if you take the first step in exercising the powers granted by the Act. Power to Consumer is at your service. Our mission is simple: to help consumers get justice and legal support against powerful enterprises and companies.
Support us in our mission by spreading awareness about our initiative far and wide within your social circles. [su_highlight]Remember, consumer is truly the king, but only when it exercises its rights and powers.[/su_highlight]
The name of the company in this post has been hidden for privacy purposes. But the names of the consumers are authentic, and permission has been acknowledged from them to use their name.
Photo Copyright: Max Stanworth via Flickr CC